Electrical connectors of the terminal socket variety are well known in the art, one primary application of which being in the automotive field for establishing connections between heavier sized output cable and components such as generators or alternators. The frictional grip imparted by the connector must be of sufficient strength to maintain firm mechanical and adequate electrical connection, yet must permit relatively easy manual withdrawal or insertion of a prong into the connector socket.
One type of known prior art electrical cable connection is the bolt-nut type electrical cable connection. A significant problem associated with such bolt and nut arrangements arises from the amount of torque which is necessary to assembly the connector and the difficult quality control issues which arise from its large scale use such as over torque, under torque and cross thread.
Generally, it has also been difficult to manufacture spring cage socket terminals, designed from either a single piece of material or assembled from parts, which may include a plurality of individual connector strips or wires. In instances where the terminal is constructed in one piece, several complex machining and forming steps are required. Additionally, construction of a socket terminal starting with individual contact strips requires a tedious assembly process and involving more than four (4) components. As such, manual assembly involving socket terminals is both an intricate and difficult task, as well as a necessary one, and significantly increases a cost of production associated with the connector.
Another example of a radially resilient terminal socket is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,335, issued to Koch, and which teaches constructing a barrel terminal socket by forming a sheet metal blank with uniformly spaced, parallel, longitudinal strips integrally connected at their opposite ends to transversely extending webs. The blank is then formed into a cylinder, inserted into a close-fitting cylindrical sleeve and one end of the blank is fixedly secured to the sleeve. The opposite end of the blank is then rotated relative to the sleeve through a predetermined angle and then fixedly secured in its rotated position to the sleeve. Accordingly, Koch teaches a multiple of individual assembly steps and the use of no less than five (5) separate components, which are necessary to complete the construction of the terminal socket.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,063, also issued to Koch, discloses additional, methods and techniques for constructing the barrel terminal, including the contactor strip portions being provided as a plurality of individual and spaced apart blanks attached to a carrier strip (46). Each blank is advanced through a number of work stations and assembled utilizing no less than four (4) components, such varied assembly steps including forming the contactor strips into a hollow barrel configuration and fitting the sleeve onto the barrel configured blank.
In summary, the above two prior art patents each utilize at least four (4) or more components in order to construct a power terminal, the net effect of which it so increase the cost, render more complex the design, and slow processing of the parts. It is further found that the provision of many joints, connecting these components together, decreases the effective contact surface for effecting the electrical communication, and has been found to be less reliable and have more potential failure modes.
In sum, it has been determined that it is important to maintain sufficient contact surface and in order to guarantee that an adequate amount of electrical current is carried through the terminal assembly.